lqb2weekly #188 (15 aug 2023)

hey,

so real talk. last week was rough. i’m writing about this because i am trying to be more vulnerable in public. sometimes people tell me that, based on how what they see of me out in the world, everything in my life seems like it’s great. so i’m working to dispel that. i mean, i do love my life. but it’s not all sunshine and roses all the time.

that said, i don’t wanna go like all the way all the way in, so here’s some summary highlights: i was really sick 2 weeks ago and last week was a rough recovery week; i missed the boston beyoncé concert because of being sick and had WAY more grief than i expected; something like 5 or 6 of the projects i’m working on are in a hard place; my climate grief has been out of control; i am consistently stunned that i live in a country where donald trump is not only not in jail, but is actively (and seemingly successfully) campaigning for prez again; most of my local boston support/care infrastructure was out of town (including but not limited to my entire men’s group, my partner, many of my neighbors, and my therapist). i would say i was rocking a consistent 2/10 on wellness for 2 days or more. part of me thought for a bit in there, maybe i’m just lonely… but it wasn’t that; it was that there’s a particular crew of folks who know more of my day-to-day and most of them were gone. and when i need support for the day-to-day stuff, it’s harder to ask for it from farther afield because it takes so much explanation of the context to get to a point where i can actually get the support i need.

things were not alright but they are alright now and i made some pivots to get support i usually get locally from some other places, but it was rough, yall. august is lovely for many reasons and also this is the first august in a LONG time that i have not done major travel in august (last year i was in italy lol).

anyway, not everything was bad, to be very clear, but i wanted to share the hard stuff because it’s too easy to only share the pretty stuff.

phew, ok with all that dumped, here’s three key things to share about in this edition:

1. there’s only 3 days left to pre-order your liberation tarot deck! we have 381 backers and raised $27.8k so far (which feels literally incredible - for sure one of the highlights from my past week of badness) but we still wanna make sure our folks committed to spirit and revolution get it. if you know folks who vibe in that intersection, please send it along!

   https://tinyurl.com/LiberationTarot

2. gibrán is running his dope coaching program again. there’s a very small number of seats available and one friend of mine has already done the program. i have been supported by and also coached by gibrán and if you’re looking to level up, this is a rare and excellent opportunity. more details over here.

3. i’m taking a 4-week sabbatical starting in one month. am i ready? hell no. is it gonna happen anyways? yes.

some other things:

• thanks to everyone who sent it money for BJ. we raised $286 ($22 more than the goal!) and now his PO box is paid up through oct 2024. thanks, yall. team work really does make the dream work. (sometimes. with some dreams. well… ok ANYWAYS.)

• my friend ashé is looking for support on job interviews. are you or someone you know open to supporting him? more deets over here.

• my friend marlo has some offerings to share about. check ‘em out! Fall Men's Group, Psychedelics & Meditation

• more climate grief:

  • stone soup farm lost 80% of their crops all at once. fundraiser for them

  • a lot of maui burned. i was there in oct. fundraiser for friend of a friend.

• African Healing Dance Training coming up Sept 22-24 (in Boston) hosted by Wyoma

• the final session in this cool offering from ujima is coming up in sept

  Writing to Repair Our Tribe
  Facilitated by Ujima member Saskia VannJames
  sign up over here

In this three-part series, participants will explore zinemaking as a place of political expression and advocacy for reparations. Learn more about each session below, and register to join here.

there’s a lot more i wanna say but for now, i’m gonna keep it pushing and get back to work.

on to the things!

(!!) pick of the pack

---

writing

some things i’ve written since the last newsletter:

• Aug 14, 2023 | fall 2023 sabbatical

• Jul 30, 2023 | book review: king warrior magician lover: rediscovering the archetypes of the mature masculine

quotes

there is nothing new under the sun. also, full transparency, many of these quotes come from james clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter (which i love).

people tend to see blessing as meaning prosperity you got to disconnect these two things… Blessing is a state of the soul. Blessing is a place in which the person’s psyche sits in comfort. — malidoma patrice somé, the blessing of betrayal

My grandfather used to say that beauty brought outside is a lie, And that beauty kept inside is power in the state of growing; it’s power that is growing constantly. — malidoma patrice somé, the blessing of betrayal

Freedom is heavy. You got to put your shoulder to freedom. Put your shoulder to it and hope your back holds up. — August Wilson

Setting a boundary is “being bold enough to cause an outer conflict instead of always choosing inner conflict.” — Glennon Doyle

Anxiety is thought without control.
Flow is control without thought. — James Clear

One sign you haven’t done enough reading is if you find yourself agreeing with whatever book you read last. At first, it’s easy to be swayed by any reasonable argument. Once you’ve read a lot, you can see that even the best arguments have limitations. — James Clear

It seems to me, that if we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined. Grief is the terrible reminder of the depths of our love and, like love, grief is non-negotiable. — Nick Cave

poetry

• Earth, mama — jaco cohen

reads

some things i’ve read since the last newsletter:

• Understanding the Different Types of Nonprofit Boards | Nonprofit Ready

• More Than 50% of Managers Feel Burned Out — Harvard Business Review (!)

• The past is not true | Derek Sivers

• Palm Springs is Heating Up, and Only Getting Hotter | NY Times

• How to Explore Your Saturn Return | Chani

• Horoscopes for the Sun in Leo, 2023 | Chani

• Stress Management: How to Tell the Difference Between Good and Bad Stress | Summa Health (!!)

• Future scientists explore Arboretum in youth summer science program | The Bay State Banner

• Progressive Christian Leader Admits To Plagiarizing Influential Poem | Sojourners

listens

some audio and/or podcasts i’ve listened to since the last newsletter:

• The Edges in the Middle, IV: Báyò Akómoláfé and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor | For The Wild

• How Do I Define My New Role to Set Myself Up for Success? | Coaching Real Leaders

• How Do I Set the Right Pace To Meet Our Strategic Goals? | Coaching Real Leaders

• How Do I Stay Motivated After Surviving Layoffs? | Coaching Real Leaders

• How Do I Work with a Difficult Boss? | Coaching Real Leaders (!!)

• Witch School Chapter 5: Empress Karen Rose | How to Survive the End of the World (!)

• This Conversation About the ‘Reading Mind’ Is a Gift | The Ezra Klein Show

• “The Iceman,” Wim Hof | The Tim Ferriss Show (!)

watches

some videos i watched since the last newsletter:

• Malidoma Somé: The Blessing of Betrayal (1993) (!!)

• some reparations in public/social media (ht terry marshall)

  • Marshall Talks to Earnest | Atlanta | FX

  • @jmaseiii - Have you heard of Callie House? Do you believe reparations are possible in your lifetime? #BlackHistory #CallieGuyHouse #ReparationsNow

  • @amandaseales - Reparations NOW!

• Tyler Childers - In Your Love (!!)

• The Gap by Ira Glass

• Core Processes of Restorative Justice Circles

jams

some things i’ve been (aurally) enjoying since the last newsletter:

• Drink Water (Visualizer) ft. Jon Bellion, Fireboy DML — Jon Batiste

• moses sumney — colouour

• Siibii - YOY

• tiny garden — jamila woods

jobs

national

• For even more movement jobs, visit New Economy Coalition’s monthly newsletter (link)

• Grünewald Guild: Executive Director - $70k (link)

• Building Movement Project: Director of Research - $110-140k (link)

• Center for Anti-Violence Education: Executive Director - $130k (link)

• Social Movement Technologies: North America Campaign Lead / Senior Campaigner - $75-120k (link)

• Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100): Interim Managing Director, Organizing Director, Communications Director, Chapter Organizer, Movement Archivist Fellow, Communications Manager - $71-95K (link)

• If Not Now: Communications Director - $45-59K (link)

• Jewish Voice for Peace: Senior Fundraising Campaigns Coordinator - $60k (link)

• Contracted Positions / Request for Proposals

  • New Economy Coalition: Request for Proposal, Contract to manage development of Funders/Investors Database - $5-8K (link)

local

• Director of Communications and External Affairs, Councilor Lara - $73k (link)

• Neighborhood Birth Center: Manager of Communications and Engagement (link) and Manager of Sustainability and Operations (link) - $70k

• City Life/Vida Urbana: Bilingual Community Organizer - $50-60k (link)

• Community Servings: Volunteer Coordinator - $65k (link)

• I Have a Future: Co-Lead Organizer - $65k (link) and Admin Organizer, $21/hour PT (link)

housing

• my friend nadeem is looking for a lodging situation! here’s some deets:

Central or Kendall ish (in Cambridge, MA). Open to roommates I’ll be around half or 1/3 of the time. Flexible on setup if I’m alone just a 1 bed ideally. People can text message that’s ideal!! 617.938.8881. When is flexible.

upcoming events

• REBIRTH retreat for women & non-binary POC | October 5-8

$$ (fun-raising)

• stone soup farm lost 80% of their crops all at once. fundraiser for them ($32k of 50k)

• a lot of maui burned. i was there in oct. fundraiser for friend of a friend. ($31k of 50k)

• a staff member at the Urban Farming Institute (UFI) sister recently passed away. if you have funds to help them out, i’d appreciate it. ($4k of 7k)

• wildseed gofundme ($2k of 40k)

other opportunities

• PROTECTING YOUR STORYTELLING POWER — Strategies For Black Artists

newsletters

• bad environmentalist: a hike to remember

• emet ezell: the bird is moving to substack!

• building belonging: Belonging @ Scale: Part 1

right now i’m learning…

about burnout at work.

mood